1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly to level shifters for electronic devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Logic modules of electronic devices, such as integrated circuit devices, typically employ a reference voltage that determines the high-level voltage representing a logic level at the module. When logic modules that have different reference voltages need to communicate with each other, a level shifter can provide an interface between the modules having different voltage references. The use of a level shifter allows a module in one voltage domain (e.g. a module having a lower voltage reference, referred to as a low-reference module), to interface with a module in another voltage domain (e.g. a module having a higher voltage reference, referred to as a high-reference module). The level shifter translates the voltage signal from the module in one voltage domain to a voltage signal having a magnitude sufficient to represent the appropriate logic state at the module in the other voltage domain. However, some conventional level shifters can operate unpredictably when one of the voltage domains is placed in a low power state. Such unpredictability can make device testing difficult, as well as cause undesirable power loss.